HMS Valediction

Chapter 27.2

I groan. "You know, I was just starting to get used to him as a dirty mechanic. Now you've gone and made him creepy-clean again."

Ledi's look of panic returns. "Shall I return? I can undo the previous refresh."

"It's fine. I'll get you dirty again in no time." I face Teeno. "So what's all this about? You barge in, interrupt some serious cockpit planning, and freak my engineer out. This has got to be some big surprise."

Teeno's devilish grin returns. "I hope you stay long enough to learn that nothing I do is small... Pick a hand."

I look at his elbows that are out and bent like chicken wings behind him. "Teeno, I don't have time for games."

"Where's the fun in life without stakes? Come now! Pick!"

"Left."

"Mine or yours?"

"Holy heap." I roll my eyes, reach out and tap the elbow to his left.

He pulls a large sandwich out from behind his back and holds it out for me to grab. "Many congratulations."

I take it, glad that I don't have to leave the hangar to eat today. "Thank you. Are you going to sit and eat the other with me? I don't have seating or anything, but—" I spin around, searching for something for his tidy ass.

He holds out his other hand. There's no sandwich there.

It's a leather drop leg rig with two pistols tucked inside their holsters.

My focused gaze snaps up to gape at him.

"The real reason I came here. Truth be told, that sandwich is mine." He takes it back from me and hands me the thigh rigs instead.

The leather dangles from my hands, the pistols weighing the holsters down. I throw it over my shoulder and release one of the weapons from their hold.

It's silver and sparkling blue with a shiny gemstone quality to the inlay across the barrel. With the lightest, most delicate touch, I run my fingertips along its gleaming edge. It sparkles, flecks of neon igniting under my skin.

It's as if the weapon is responding to me.

I grip it in each hand, testing its weight. Pulling out the other, I repeat, gazing at them, memorizing their contours and textures.

Teeno clears his throat.

"Thank you," I say, placing the handguns back in their holsters like I'm tucking them into bed. "They're incredible."

"They're yours."

"How much?" I scowl. "If I've learned anything about this galaxy, it's that nothing comes free. What do I owe you?"

The striking silver hair over Teeno's sterling eyes falls forward, bouncing against his forehead. He rakes his hand through the thick locks and flashes his mischievous grin. "My dear Lorn, this is your share of the race prize. You've already paid for this."

The electric blue. I know this color. "The glucker?"

"Their intestines secrete a powerful energy source. We only need one glucker to create the weapons we needed for our arsenal. If it was not for your involvement and your—" he lifts his arms and squeezes the air, mimicking me in my glucker-clutching pose—"tight grasp on the situation, then we would have been very low on necessary resources."

I hold the holster and handguns out in front of me. I still don't trust this.

Teeno steps forward, wraps his hands around mine and the holster, and pushes them close to my chest. "In this ship, despite our questionable methodology when it comes to your treatment, we are family. We do not lie to our own."